


Somewhere in Between

by magequisition



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cuddling, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-10
Updated: 2013-02-10
Packaged: 2017-11-28 19:17:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/677957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magequisition/pseuds/magequisition
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam discovers Gabriel can sing. Gabriel discovers Sam likes it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Somewhere in Between

 Sam couldn't remember exactly when he'd first noticed it. It had been shortly after Gabriel had literally popped back into their lives with an apparently earnest offer of help. And he had been helpful, Sam had to admit. He'd gotten them out of more than one scrape, and when Sam was having a hard time dealing with the constant eyefucking between Dean and Castiel, Gabriel was always willing to amuse him with some ridiculous prank played on their brothers that was usually intended (to varying degrees of success) to result in the resolution of their sexual tension. 

So he couldn't remember when he'd noticed, exactly, he just knew that one day he'd gotten back to the motel alone, Dean having dragged Cas off to some bar or another, and as he moved to push open the door to the room, he'd heard soft music and a voice singing. He'd stopped before opening it, listening as a voice that was unmistakeably Gabriel's floated through the thin wood. Gabriel's voice had been surprisingly gentle as he'd quietly played the ballad. When he finished the song he'd been singing, Sam pushed the door open slowly, hoping not to interrupt him. 

He should have known he couldn't sneak up on the archangel. By the time the door was fully open, there wasn't a guitar in sight and Gabriel was sprawled out on Sam's bed, a lollipop in hand and a flirtatious smile on his face. 

“Well hey there, Sammy,” he'd said. “Where're our lovesick brothers?” Sam grinned. 

“Dean dragged Cas off to some bar. You know, just another chapter in the Dean's-pretending-he's-not-in-love saga.” Sam had given up some time before on trying to get Gabriel to stop calling him Sammy, or any of the other multiple nicknames the angel had given him. When Gabriel actually just called him Sam, Sam knew something was seriously wrong. Sam didn't mention the singing, and neither did Gabriel. 

But from that point on, Sam had made a point of listening carefully whenever he'd get back to the motel rooms, especially when he was alone. He couldn't put his finger on why, but hearing Gabriel sing filled him with a sense of calm. 

A few weeks after the first time he'd heard Gabriel softly singing by himself, he caught the angel in the act due to a slightly ajar door. Gabriel was sitting on Sam's bed, his back to the door of the room, strumming softly on the guitar and singing in a low voice. 

 

_Cause I can not stand still_

_I can't be this unsturdy_

_This can not be happening_

_Cause I'm waiting for tonight_

_Then waiting for tomorrow_

_And I'm somewhere in between_

_What is real and just a dream_

 

Sam leaned against the doorframe, listening silently as Gabriel finished the song. 

“I know you're there, Samsquatch,” he said. Sam could practically hear the smirk on his face.

“You've got a good voice,” Sam said unapologetically. 

“Yeah, several millenia of practice'll do that,” Gabriel said sarcastically. 

“You should sing more often,” Sam said, ignoring the archangel's snark. 

“You like hearing me sing?” Gabriel asked, an uncharacteristic note of surprise and what Sam thought might be pleasure in his voice. Sam shifted slightly uncomfortably, the corners of his mouth turning up. 

“Maybe I do,” he said. Gabriel grinned. 

“Well okay then,” he said. And that was the end of that. They didn't mention it again, but Sam noticed the frequency in which he walked in to the motel room to find Gabriel there, playing his guitar, rise dramatically after that conversation. 

A few weeks after Sam's maybe-accidental discovery of Gabriel's singing voice, what should have been a simple exorcism went terribly wrong. They'd gotten rid of the demon, but the girl it had been possessing didn't survive. Dean went off to the nearest bar to drown his sorrows, and Sam went back to the motel. He desperately hoped Gabriel wasn't there; he hadn't seen the archangel in a few days and he wasn't sure he could handle his cocky smile. He unlocked the motel door and found the room blissfully empty. He shut the door and kicked off his shoes, dropping himself face down on his bed without bothering to turn the lights on. He kicked his foot hard against the bed in frustration. Seconds later, there was a slight pressure on the mattress beside him. 

“I saw what happened, Sam,” Gabriel said quietly. “I'm sorry I wasn't there.” 

“She couldn't have been more than seventeen, Gabriel. Seventeen. And I let her die.” Sam choked out. He didn't know why this was affecting him so badly – it had never hit him quite so hard in the past, but for some reason this particular death was affecting him more than others he'd witnessed. 

“You didn't do it, Sam. It was the demon bastard,” Gabriel said, his hand tentatively resting on Sam's head and stroking through his hair comfortingly. Sam let out a loud, shaky sigh, biting his lip hard to try and stop himself from crying. 

“Gabriel, I'm really tired. Can you go, please? I want to sleep.” 

“Then sleep,” Gabriel said, settling himself more comfortably beside Sam on the bed. 

“You're still here,” Sam replied.

“And that's not changing, so you might as well sleep,” Gabriel said. He stroked his hand through Sam's long hair again and began to sing softly to him. 

 

_Let me be the one you call_

_If you jump I'll break your fall_

_Lift you up and fly away with you into the night_

 

Before he fell asleep, Sam had the passing thought that he should tease Gabriel about singing such a cheesy song, but he didn't have it in him, and he couldn't honestly tell himself that he didn't like believing that maybe Gabriel actually meant the lyrics he was singing. With a warm hand on the back of his neck and a quiet voice filling him with calm, Sam relaxed and drifted off to sleep. 

He woke up the next morning with strong arms around him. Before the haze cleared and he realised exactly what was happening, he'd settled back into the embrace, smiling when the arms had tightened around him. 

“Morning,” Gabriel's voice came into his ear. Sam's eyes shot open.

“G...Gabriel?” he stammered. 

“Don't freak out on me now, Sam,” Gabriel said. 

“I didn't expect you to still be here,” Sam replied, his voice still slightly groggy. 

“What, you think I'd just leave?” Gabriel asked, his voice holding a slightly offended tone. 

“Well I mean, I appreciate what you did for me last night, Gabriel...really, I do. A lot. It helped more than you can know. But I mean, that's all it was, wasn't it? You helping me out?” Gabriel rolled his eyes. 

“Sammy, kiddo, you're brilliant but sometimes you're really dense, ya know?” Sam rolled over and looked at Gabriel, anticipation beginning to curl slightly in his stomach. 

“What are you talking about, Gabriel?” he asked, trepidation in his voice. Gabriel stared him down for a minute, golden eyes boring into Sam's own green ones, and without another word he lifted himself onto one arm and leaned forward, kissing Sam hard. Sam froze for a minute in shock before lifting one hand to Gabriel's cheek and returning the kiss. Gabriel pulled back a minute later, one side of his mouth lifting in a smirk. 

“You understand me now?” Gabriel asked. Sam shook his head and laughed, leaning forward to kiss Gabriel again. 

He thought he might live to regret it, but it seemed like maybe his brother wasn't the only one who'd fallen hard for an angel.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The first song (and title of this story) that Gabriel sings is "Somewhere in Between" by Lifehouse. The second is "Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden.


End file.
